William c



(N0 Medal.)

W. 0. BACKUP.

CURTAIN STRETOHER BAR.

No. 561,693. Patented June 9, 1896.

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UNITED STATES PATENT EEicE.

IVILLIAM C. BACKOF, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO \NALTER A. MAYR, OF SAME PLACE.

CURTAIN-STRETCHER BAR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 561,693, dated June 9, 1896.

Application filed May 31, 1895. Serial No. 551,233. (No model.)

To CDZIZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, IVILLIAM O. BAOKOF, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Cur rain-Stretcher Bar, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates particularly to improvements in that class of bars which are made to fold together when not in use; and it consists in a new and useful device for making it easy to operate the parts in fold- I attain this object by means of the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a rear plan view of the bar, also showing connection with the other bars of the frame. Fig. 2 is a side view of the bar when open for use. Fig. 3 is a view of the same when folded. Fig. 4 is an end viewof the bar. Fig. 5 gives two views of the nut which I prefer to use, and Fig. 6 shows a view of the pin which I have found best suited for this purpose.

Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout.

Arepresents the bar, of which Fig. e is a transverse section.

B is a slide fitted closely to the bar and adapted to move along the bar, as shown here, to the left.

O O are two thumb-screws adapted to be screwed into the nuts F F.

D is a slot in the slide B, and E is a slot in the end of the same.

I am aware that bars of a similar nature are in use; but I find in practice there is difficulty in preventingthe nut or thumb-screws turning when being tightened, thus preventing the clamp being made as close-fitting as it should be to hold the bar rigid, and when it has stood in use for some time the screw part will rust, making it very difficult to unloose the clamp. Iovercome this difficulty by placing the nut between the leaves of the hinge holding the sections of the bar together and the bar, in a recessed space, and screw the thumb-screws into the said nut, thereby preventing the same from turning. Any nut may be thus employed; but for convenience I prefer to use the one I have shown, as these may be driven into an auger-hole and have flanges to prevent the nut passing through the bar, and the flanges are so construct-ed that they will make their own recess, thus adding to the cheapness of construction.

Having thus described my invention, what I desire to secure by Letters Patent is- The combination of a curtain-stretcher bar, consisting of two or more parts connected by hinges, slides for making the bar rigid when in use, thumbscrews with flanged nuts between the bar and leaves of the hinge, and pins with flangedheads which are driven into the bar from the rear, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

WILLIAM C. BAGKOF. lVitnesscs:

M. R. JOHNSON, GRACE MCNAMARA. 

